The genus Oncidium is one of the largest and most diverse within the orchid family; numbering more than 600 distinct species distributed throughout the American tropics and extending into South-Central America.
Many, if not most of the species within the genus, grow as epiphytes. The remaining species thrive growing as lithophytes or terrestrials. All exhibit a sympodial growth habit.
The first Oncidium hybrid was created in 1898 by a Mr. C. Vuylsteke and registered by the same.
Oncidium hybridizing is accomplished through sexual methods. Asexual propagation of Oncidium is done in aseptic tissue culture from apical or axillary shoots.
The new cultivar was discovered within a group of asexually produced plants on Aug. 10, 2008. The inventor selected Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ from a population of over 3000 plants grown in Mountain View, Hi. Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ was re-flowered on May 20, 2009 and submitted by the inventor to a commercial tissue culture laboratory in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb. 24, 2010 for propagation through aseptic tissue culture technique.
Other seedlings of the same varieties that were used to produce Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ have been commercially available from others. The characteristics of Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ as described herein have demonstrated to be fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ reproduces true to type. The characteristics are clearly distinguishable from the characteristics of those other plants. The inventor has reason to believe that Oncidium Sweet Sugar ‘Lemon Drop’ is superior to other seedlings in flower color.